Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said that he had serious reservations about the ability of political parties to bring about real transformation and civil society has an important role to play in difficult times. He also said that he often has a longing to retire from politics and be more actively involved in social service.
While addressing members of civil society at an event, Azad said, “Humko ek samaj mein badlaav lana hai. Kabhi kabhi mein sochta hoon, aur koi badi baat nahi ki, achanak aap samjey ki hum retire ho gaye aur samaj seva mein lag gaye.”(We have to bring about a change in the society. Sometimes I think, and it is not a big deal that suddenly you come to know that I have retired and started doing social service).
The event was organized by the president of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and senior advocate M K Bhardwaj. People from all walks of life and political affiliations, including Chamber of Commerce President Arun Gupta, former Jammu University vice-chancellors R R Sharma and R D Sharma, former Advocate General Aslam Goni, among others were present at the function organised to honour Azad for getting the Padma Bhushan.
At the beginning of his 35-minute address, Azad made it clear that he would not deliver a political speech. “Politics in India has become so ugly that sometimes one has to doubt whether we are human,” he said.
Saying that the average human lifespan is now 80-85 years, he said it makes sense for individuals to use the 20-25-year-long post-retirement period to contribute to nation-building. He added, “Hum sab agar ek shehar ko, ek province ko theek karengey, toh pura Hindustan theek hoga” (If we all reform a city or a province, the entire country will get reformed).
He ended his speech saying, “Mein apney aap ko apni individual capacity mein…ek insaan ki capacity mein…us asli kaam key liye, seva ke liye, insaan ke liye, apney aap ko samarpit karta hoon. Jab bhi aap chahyengey merey ko aap Apney saath deekhengey.”
Stating that he had doubts over any political party’s ability to bring about change as they are responsible for most of the evils in the society, Azad said, “Humney ilakey ke naam pe baant liya logo ko…phir region ke naam pe baant liya, gaon aur shehar ke naam pe baant liya’’ (We have divided people on the basis of region, area, village and city). He added, “We have also divided Dalits and upper castes, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. If we reduce people to their case identities only, who is left to be seen as a human being?”
Political parties will keep dividing people in the name of religion or politics but it is the role of civil society to guide people in difficult times, he said.
He recalled that many people know that he had been a minister in all Congress governments, right from the time Indira Gandhi was at the helm, and also the party general secretary under many PMs. However, very few people know that his public life started not as a Congressman, but as a follower of Gandhian philosophy, he said. “We all are human beings first, and Hindus and Muslims later,” he added.
“Even today, I think Gandhi was the greatest Hindu and the biggest follower of secularism. It is wrong to think that any Hindu who worships gods cannot be secular. One can’t see secularism through the prism of religion. Anyone who truly follows religion is truly secular. Those who have little knowledge of their religion are dangerous,” he said.
Referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said it is unfathomable that the trail of destruction has been left behind by human beings. “Today our thought and our minds have become so polluted that we do not consider people to be human beings,’’ he said.
Azad also said that militancy has destroyed lives in Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan playing a big role in it. Militants have killed security personnel, cops and left many widowed, be it Kashmiri Pandits or Kashmiri Muslims, he said. He added that it is wrong to lend a religious colour to this narrative of loss as all people in the region have been affected by militancy.
